Bloomington/Normal, Illinois

09/04/2020

Stay in the Know with what is going on in Bloomington Normal

A longtime resident of Ward 5 says he hopes to use his business experience to represent the area on the Bloomington City Council.

08/27/2020

Well we hope to see changes soon! Hopefully we can get a handle on this!

The county's cumulative positivity rate is now 3%. Its rolling seven-day positivity rate through Tuesday is 8.2%, the health department said.

08/19/2020

Stay in the know with your area!

Illinois Wesleyan University officials are monitoring a COVID-19 outbreak among students that they say is attributed to off-campus gatherings where use of masks and social distancing did not occur.

08/12/2020

No football this Fall for the Big Ten. Good article on how this all transpired. It gives insight into how the decision was made.

Remember what transpired in March?

08/07/2020

Important Update from District 87!

08/07/2020

Important information update about Unit 5!

Message from Dr. Weikle to Unit 5 Parents
During the past several months, Unit 5 has worked on redesigning school procedures and our physical buildings to implement the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines for reopening schools. We always knew it would be a challenge to open but Unit 5 followed the guidance of the State and worked diligently to offer parents a choice, including an in-person option. As other school districts across the nation opened and had to close within days because of positive cases it became evident that challenges were mounting. Over the last couple of weeks the Unit 5 staff have monitored local health metrics, consulted with the McLean County Health Department, and have continued to study the latest information regarding how school-age children are susceptible and can spread COVID. We have also seen an increase in positive COVID cases in McLean County, the State of Illinois, and across the country. As we worked through our plans and reviewed data from student learning choices, several significant issues emerged including, the inability to maintain social distancing in our buildings and the ability to adequately staff in person and online instruction. Based on these discussions and monitoring of local and national trends in COVID cases, Unit 5 has determined that we need to begin the 2020-21 school year with Remote Learning.It is important to know that Remote Learning will look different than in the Spring. We wanted to get you this information as soon as possible. Specific details of the Remote Learning Plan will follow next week.What does this mean: Students will begin the 2020-2021 school year on Monday, Aug. 24 fully remote.Attendance will be taken. Assignments will be required and graded. Daily instruction and engagement will occur. ALL Unit 5 students will be instructed by Unit 5 teachers, from the school they are enrolled in, using Unit 5 curriculum. Students who were struggling about how they would take their honors, dual credit, and AP courses will be able to take those courses with Unit 5 teachers. Food service will be availableUnit 5 will continue in this format through the end of the first quarter (mid-October). The District will continue to evaluate local metrics, and updated information about COVID, including if school districts have successfully been able to provide in-person learning. If we feel that we can safely bring students and staff back in mid-October we will offer a hybrid and online option for all students PreK-12. A decision on this will be made by Oct. 1.
I want to emphasize this decision was not made lightly and we understand that the change to our plan will place challenges on our families. Organizations and social service agencies throughout our community are working on programming to provide child care to families in need.
There is no decision that will please everyone, but in the end we believe that we must err on the side of caution and safety. We ask our community to work together to help us get our students back to in person learning. To do that we must get a handle on this virus. Please wear a mask, socially distance, and avoid large gatherings.
Again, a detailed plan of remote learning will go to parents early next week. You can also continue to follow updates on the district website: www.unit5.org.
With Unit 5 Pride,
Dr. Weikle, Unit 5 Superintendent

08/04/2020

We know that this has nothing to do with Bloomington Normal. But we are excited that the cubs are winning and baseball is back!

During the offseason after the Chicago Cubs won the 2016 World Series, their trade with the Kansas City Royals for closer Wade Davis at the winter meetings grabbed most of

08/03/2020

What a landmark! Hopefully we see more of these good stories to come in 2020! Congrats

The dramatic, retro-style splashdown into the Gulf of Mexico closed out an unprecedented test flight by Elon Musk's SpaceX company.

07/31/2020

A great story on how we could look at the difficult times our nation is facing

The IHSA's announcement that each sport would have a season during the 2020-21 school year elicited gratitude from a sampling of Pantagraph area athletes, coaches and athletic directors.

07/23/2020

Great information about District 87! Whos ready to go back to school?

Have additional questions after reading the back-to-school plan?
We have created a landing page with FAQ and additional resources for families: https://www.district87.org/domain/2063

Know that we see your questions and will answer as many as possible. Before you ask a question, please make sure it is not already addressed in the FAQ or Plan. If you comment a question below, please refrain from also sending that question via FB message or email so we can give a timely response to everyone.
Thank you for your patience and trust!

If you have questions that aren't addressed in the plan or FAQ, please email [email protected].

07/21/2020

Unit 5 is giving choices to go back and learn. A little FYI for those that havent seen the plan!

Good evening

Here is a message from Dr. Weikle. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRfaQKcw1HI&feature=youtu.be

The Fall plan has been emailed to all Unit 5 households.

Here is a link to the plan
https://www.unit5.org/cms/lib/IL01905100/Centricity/Domain/41/Unit%205%20Return%20to%20School%20Planusefinal.pdf

Also, here are the results of the parent survey -https://www.unit5.org/cms/lib/IL01905100/Centricity/Domain/4/Unit%205%20PARENT%20SURVEY.pdf

Please know, this document outlines Unit 5’s plan as of July 20, 2020. Local and State positivity rates, COVID cases, and regulations may cause the District to make changes to the start of the 2020-21 school year

Thank you!

07/16/2020

Please everyone check your basements and homes! We hope that everyone is safe.

The extent of damage was not immediately clear and Chris Miller, warning coordinator for the National Weather Service in Lincoln, said initial indications were the reported tornadoes were brief.